


In the Process of Recuperation

by orphan_account



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Abuse?, Angst, Angst?, Boy Love, Cutting, Depression, Drama, Happy Ending?, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rating May Change, Suicidal Thoughts, Yaoi, friends - Freeform, slight mentions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-05-27 02:08:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6265417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Under that devious yet deceiving smile, lays a broken soul.</em>
</p><p>Karma Akabane is a ticking time bomb that floats on the edge of depression and insanity. Can Asano Gakushuu save this misguided soul before his fuse burns out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Similarities

“Karma-kun, you coming out yet?” Nagisa asked the red-head as he stood in the classroom doorway, spectating his friend casually sipping on a half crumbled cartoon of red strawberry milk. The person in question quirked his head towards Nagisa and laughed absentmindedly, waving his hand back and forth to display his playful nature and relaxed state. He sucked up the remainder of the cartoon before disposing of it in the nearest bin.

“Nah, you go on ahead. I got to ask Koro-sensei something before I go home today.” Karma smiled at his blunette haired classmate and walked out of 3-E’s classroom. Everyone else already left after the home time bell rang a few minutes ago, but Nagisa had stayed back to wait for Karma. The latter seemed to be waiting for someone and took out a cartoon of milk before Nagisa could question him about anything. Now that the red head had stated he wanted to see Koro-sensei, Nagisa couldn’t help but think something was up. He suspiciously glanced at the retreating figure of his friend heading into the staff room and shrugged.

_I’ll guess I’ll ask him tomorrow._

 

* * *

 

“Ah…Karma-kun, what can I do for you today?” The yellow octopus faced Karma with his never-changing smiling face and dodged with his Mach 20 god-like speed as the smartest student in 3-E tried stabbing him with a green anti-sensei knife. “You should know by now that never works.”

“Sorry Teach, but you never know when I may be able to catch you off guard.” The red head replied with a smile resembling a sadistic smirk. But he quickly cleared that off his face and stared at Koro-sensei with a neutral expression. If one looked closely enough, they would have seen hints of nervousness leaking pass his mask. “May I ask a question Koro-Sensei?”

“Sure, anything for my precious students. Is it a maths question? Something the genius people call Karma doesn’t understand?”

“Shut up Sensei…It’s nothing like that. I just wanted to know…” He averted his glazed eyes and pressed his lips into a firm line. “You know what, forget about it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly walked out of the room with a sour expression, drowning out the cries of his teacher calling for him to come back. “I knew it was a stupid thing to do, why did I even bother to try…” He muttered under his breath to himself, wanting to crawl home and just sleep the day off. He thought about the conversation and the question that had lingered in his mind for a while.

_“Koro-sensei, I just wanted to know…I just wanted to know how to deal with depression.”_

 

* * *

 

 

The sun was setting and the last rays of sunshine was slowly dying out. The trees swaying gently in the wind, casting long dark shadows on the ground. The scent of fresh pines tickled Karma’s nose as he exited the forest that was part of the trail for going to 3-E’s classroom. Before long, he had reached the main building of the school, and walked by slowly, ignoring taunted made by the main building students. He didn’t care anyways; he could have given them a beating of their lives if he felt like it so he didn’t let these delinquents bother him. At least, that what he _tried_ to tell himself as he just trudged by. The words of hate were flown at the walls he built around himself and was breaking it apart tediously.

 _Who am I trying to fool anyways, myself or everyone else around me?_ He thought bitterly to himself and carried on with full long strides, his head down casted and gazing upon the floor. Caught up into his own thoughts, he didn’t notice that he had crashed into the top student in the school. Asano turned around, annoyed that someone had the nerve to touch him and prepared to teach the perpetrator a lesson. But nothing in the world could have prepared him to see Karma sprawled out on the ground, eyes squeezed shut and clutching his head. It seemed that he was in pain and Asano forgot his anger for a second and held out his hand purely because he had remembered his manners. He didn’t want to have lost his composure in front of his rival so he tried to play it off cool. 

“Need a hand Akabane?” His voice sounded sincere but all it took was one look at Asano’s smirking face and Karma’s instincts were telling himself that Asano’s intentions could only spell trouble for him. The mercury eyed boy swatted the hand of the violet eyed boy’s hand away got up himself. He dusted the dirt off his blazer, his bangs covering his eyes so that Asano couldn’t see his them. “That’s awfully rude of you Akabane. Should’ve at least shown your appreciation by taking my hand that I kindly offered you.” He drawled out meticulously.

“Leave me alone Asano.” Karma turned away, his bangs still casting shadows over his eyes so that they weren’t visible. He then attempted to get away from Asano but the principal’s son had other ideas. He grabbed Karma’s wrist and spun him around, without any warning at at. But what he saw was totally unexpected. Karma’s usually piercing gaze looked dead to the world and his face was expressionless, like the face Asano had once in a while seen on his own face when he passed a mirror. Like the face he sought to make after years of years of practice, the expression made when one tried to hiding their emotions _._ He let go of Karma’s wrist like he had been stung, and Karma gave him a glare as he rubbed his wrist from the tight hold of Asano’s grip. They stared at each other for a while, trying to decipher what each other were thinking. After a long daunting silence, Karma seemed to break out of his thoughts as he shook his head and continued on walking past Asano.

The strawberry blonde turned to speculate the redhead heading towards the train station, thinking about Karma’s personality and being.

 _Maybe him and I are alike after all_ , he pondered.


	2. Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two souls were empty. But maybe all they needed was each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way to early. Trust me, it usually takes a month to write a chapter. Don't expect this to happen often kay?
> 
> On a side note, to those who watched season 2 episode 11, MY TWO BABIES FINALLY TALKED. HONESTLY THOUGH, THEY LOOK LIKE TWINS. SOMEONE SHOULD WRITE A FANFIC WITH SIBLING!KARMA AND ASANO. 
> 
> On ANOTHER side note, the manga finished around a few days ago. THE LAST CHAPTER OF ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM MANGA WAS SO BITTERSWEET. I like how 7 years into the future, everyone got their wanted jobs. Go figure. But Karma looks so freaken HOT in the future.

Karma walked up the stairs to his home, shrouded in darkness and gloom. His parents weren’t home, they never were, solely because they’ve got demanding jobs that keeps them travelling around the world. It was a perfect excuse to evade their troublesome son. They never interacted with him and only sent him sums of money home (usually in the hundreds) for him to sustain himself. The red head had always done all the chores, paid the bills, cooked for himself and lived by himself. They used to come back for Christmas but these past few years, it seemed they decided to abandon that tradition. Karma was frankly fine with it however, since his parents were cold and distance. Ever since he was small, they never showed affection nor love for their only son. 

“We have busy jobs Karma dear.” They would say to him in his face. Karma believed the consoling words, even though they were obvious lies. He believed the lies because then he’d have a reason as to why they couldn’t spend time with him, as to why he was often neglected and thrown aside. He didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t believe the words. 

The house was empty.

He was empty.

 

* * *

 

 

Asano clicked his pen irritably at the textbook he was studying, not really in he mood for studying. His father, the principal, was strict and had always forced him to study. He grew up in an isolated environment with the purpose and belief in education and surpassing his father. They never talked unless it was about education and never addressed each other casually. He often gets the feeling that his father secretly despises him, or exploits him to his own needs. Everywhere he goes, it’s a classroom. He can never escape the principal’s policies or the classroom. He flips the page of the textbook carelessly, tearing a page in the process. Everyone had gone home after school had ended and he was the sole student in the classroom left. He studied and studied, mind was strangely blank and foggy.

The classroom was empty.

He was too.

 

* * *

 

 

“Good morning Karma, how was your talk with Koro-sensei yesterday?” Nagisa asked his friends as they met up at the train station, heading up the track to 3E’s classroom. He could tell Karma had become extremely tense as soon as the words left Nagisa’s mouth. But the red head shrugged and offered a small smirk to the bluenette.

“I asked him how to do a maths question. Something wrong?” He replied to Nagisa’s inquiry. The shorter one of the two raised his eyebrows at Karma before shrugging. He could tell it was an obvious lie but he knew not to question it since Karma’s temper when angry was a force to be reckoned with. Besides, it couldn’t be that big of a deal to nag about.

The arrived to school and parted ways to go to their assigned seat, Nagisa in the second row and Karma at the very back. Throughout the whole day, Nagisa noticed something very strange. Karma, normally the one who caused the most chaos and trouble in the classroom, was unusually silent and motionless. Although it wasn’t the only thing off about him. He seemed to avoid contact with anyone and evaded Koro-sensei as much as he could. It appeared that Nagisa wasn’t the only one that noticed. At the beginning of lunch, Nakamura walked up to Karma’s table and casually leaned on his desk.

“Yo, you feeling okay?” She patted his back (a bit forcefully though) for extra measure. Karma wheezed for a second, breathing heavily to recover the breath knocked out of him when she patted – no slapped - his back. He then turned to glare at Nakamura for a few seconds before plastering on a fake smile.

“Woah, Nakamura worried for me? That’s a first.” He teased and the blonde’s face turned a light tint of red.

“Worried? Oh no, far from it. I’m just making sure you’re well enough to assassinate our teacher. Which you aren’t going to get done anytime soon if you continue avoiding him forever. She gave him a pointed stare and Karma held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

“No need to be so cold Nakamura, I was hoping you’d be a bit understanding.” The red head muttered the last part to himself but Nakamura had heard. She tilted her head and peered under Karma’s bangs to try and see his concealed expression.

“Karma, you sure you’re feeling okay? You don’t have a fever or anything?” Nagisa and Sugino joined in on the conversation.

“Guys, I’m fine. I should be asking what’s wrong with you guys instead. Do I look like a person who has a fever right now?” The mercury gold eyes had shifted up to look at the three classmates of his. The corners of the class’s sadist quirked up, as if to reassure his friends that he was fine. But then the faint grin had dropped as soon as Koro-sensei stopped by.

“Karma-kun I want to talk…“The yellow octopus was interrupted halfway as the individual in question bolted from his seat and out of the classroom. “…about yesterday.”

“Sorry, I’ll go buy lunch in the city! See you when class begins!” Were the last words group surrounding Karma’s desk heard.

 

* * *

 

 

Asano rummaged through his bag, looking for his wallet. He had left school to go buy lunch in the town square before planning to return. Once he found what he was looking for, he fished out 2000 yen in total and wandered around the stores. He was just considering to buy a simple bento box when a person bumped into him. He turned around to glare at the offender but was surprised that it was Karma, who had his hands shoved in his jeans and a surprised look on his face.

“What are you doing here?!” They both demanded in unison.

“Are you going to make this a thing?” Asano hissed at Karma who, in turn hissed back with equal vigour.

“Make what _exactly_ a thing?”

“Bumping into me every time we met!”

“It’s your fault for being there!”

“Why you little-“

Asano had to muster every drop of self control in him not to lunge at Karma and wring his neck. They had continued to glare at each other before the strawberry blonde’s stomach growled in hunger. The red head blinked in surprise before smiling, and doubling over in laughter. The owner of the metallic violet eyes that were trained on him blushed slightly. But all Asano could think about was how _angelic_ Karma looked when laughing.

_I want to see him like that more._

Immediately Asano mentally slapped himself. What the hell was he thinking?! He would rather be dragged down to hell then to see Karma. The latter ceased laughing and pointed to the store they were standing in front of.

“Let’s continue after we eat? It’ll be my treat.”

“I have money! I’m not broke!”

Karma could only grin smugly as he looked at Asano’s flustered face. 

_I want to see him like that more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who want to see Karma seven years in the future, here you go. (Yes, it's my Instagram, follow if you want I don't post much). (Pst, I might even follow back if you comment 'pineapple' on my most recent post).
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BDFaCizM0vD/?taken-by=_hikariii_


	3. Formalities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the most I’ve blushed in one day, Asano thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda late (but also early if you take my f**ked up schedule into consideration) and it's a short chapter. This chapter will be Asano-Centric but worry not my dear readers, next chapter will be Karma-Centric. I don't favor one of them over the other so this story will be fairly unbiased (I'm lying). Nevertheless, hope you enjoy and don't forget to comment and leave kudos if you haven't already.

“Do you do this often?” Asano looked up from his menu to stare at the redhead, who already decided on his meal. The person in question just grinned and rested his head on his hands.

“Do what often?"

“Invite your arch-nemesis to lunch and casually hang out with them?” 

“Nah, it’s reserved specially for you.”

Karma waved his hand at a waitress and listed his order. The waitress smiled politely and turned to Asano, waiting for his order. The principal’s son seemed to shrink under the pressure of the blonde waitress’ expectant look and Karma’s owlish stare.

“I’ll get what…he’s getting.” He meekly pointed to Karma and the mid-aged attendant nodded understandingly.

“Alright, enjoy your time with your…boyfriend.” She left without another word, but a smug look on her face.

Asano could feel his cheeks heating up and wanted to yell at the rude waiter. Karma just simply laughed and prodded the bowl on the table

“It’s no wonder she thought you were my boyfriend, your face is as red as a tomato.”

“S-s-shut up Akabane!” The strawberry blonde blushed even more and just hid his face behind the menu. When he was sure the the other wasn’t looking, Asano glanced at Karma’s face. The red head’s cheeks were a lovely tint of rose and his skin seemed silky and creamy, probably smooth to the touch. His eyes trailed down to Karma’s neck and watched as his adam’s apple bobbed up and up when Karma swallowed. Asano’s eyes trailed even _further_ down the boy’s slim but toned body and stopped right above his waist. It was slender and the clothes Karma was wearing hugged his predominate muscles tightly and Asano found himself sweating. Before his eyes can trail _even further_ down the perfectly sculptured body, Karma’s voice interrupted his train of thoughts. 

“Like what you see? Take a picture, it lasts longer.” Karma had to dodge a salt shaker thrown at him. Asano flushed even a darker shade of scarlet when he realised that Karma knew he was staring and mumbled incoherent curses at the demon spawn sitting across him. Luckily, the waiter came with their food before he could somehow find a way to humiliate himself further in front of his rival. The dish placed in front of him was a beef udon and he stared at Karma, clearly displeased.

“I shouldn’t have got what you ordered. I don’t even like beef udon.”

“Too bad, now eat up before it gets cold.”

Asano picked up his chopsticks, conflicted and took his first bite. He raised his eyebrows, not finding the dish bad and ate some more. “It’s not bad…I guess.” The student of Class 3E looked up at him and shrugged in response, not bothering to answer. They finished the meal in silence and when done, sat across each other motionless. Just as the waiter arrived to clean up the dishes, Karma abruptly got up and nodded thanks to the waiter.

“Where are you going?” Asano inquired the redhead.

“Paying for our meal. Didn’t I say it was my treat?”

“Didn’t I say I wasn’t broke?! Don’t pay a meal for me…this isn’t a date!”

“It isn’t? It sure seemed like one to me-"

Karma stopped halfway in his speech and this time it was his turn to blush furiously. It appeared that he said the sentence without realising it. Asano stood there, with his mouth agape and a red flustered face.

 _This is probably the most I’ve blushed in one day._ He thought to himself.

“Y-y-you idiot! Don’t say things like that in public!”

“I’m sorry, it kinda just slipped out.”

The principal’s son sighed in exasperation and handed the cashier a few thousand yen who was watching the squabble between the two rivals with mild amusement. “Keep the change.” He ignored Karma’s protests and walked out of the restaurant, sporting a slight headache and with the urgency to return to school before lunch break ends, trying to forget today ever happened at all. Someone tapped his shoulder lightly and he whirled around in exasperation.

“What do you want Akabane?” He tried to keep his voice level and calm, his self control straining, because all he wanted to do was snap at the annoying redhead.

“Just call me Karma. Akabane is too formal, it’s not my style.”

The answer surprised Asano and he blinked for a few seconds. Before he knew it, words were tumbling out of his mouth on their own accord.

“Then by all means, feel free to call me Gakushuu.”

 

* * *

 

The classroom of 3A was relatively silent, save for the scratching noise of pencil on paper and the jostling of textbook. It was just minutes before home bell rang and the teacher had gone out to run some errands. There was only one mumbling voice in the front of the classroom, quiet yet loud enough for it to be heard around the classroom.

“Idiot, idiot, idiot!” The students of Class 3A watched in concern as their class president pulled on his orange hair endlessly, whispering the word over and over again to himself like a mantra. “Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why did you tell him to call you Gakushuu!” Asano’s first name, Gakushuu, was almost never used. No one called him Gakushuu, not even his father, and it irked him to no end that he just granted permission to his arch-enemy to call him that. His given name was a sensitive subject for him and he hasn’t heard anyone call him that ever since his mother did, many years ago.

“Once you’re done pulling out every strand of your hair, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out in the library after school for a group study session.” His best friend, Ren whispered to Asano from the table across.

“I think I’ll pass. I’m not feeling too well today.” The strawberry blonde smiled forcefully and Ren sighed. 

“Alright, we’ll just continue without you, if you have no problems with that.” 

The bell rang and Asano tidied up his things, walking out the door with a slightly warm feeling in his chest whenever his thoughts drifted back to a certain red head sadist.

_Damn you Karma, haunting me wherever I go._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just curious, would any of you like to see smut in this or no?


	4. Idealities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma plopped onto his queen sized bed and allowed his thoughts to run free again.  
> "I'm not gay…I think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just make an unspoken agreement on this fanfic that it is entirely expected if I disappear kay? ;)
> 
> Apologies for the late chapter, had a lot on my plate and there will be a lot more in the future so there will definitely be more delay. This chapter's short but it's kinda a filler, but enjoy it nonetheless!

“Didn’t I say I wasn’t broke?! Don’t pay a meal for me…this isn’t a date!”

 “It isn’t? It sure seemed like one to me-“

 Karma stopped in his tracks, pausing his speech and his face flushed with redness. The red head fidgeted and blushed slightly. He dared to look at Asano's face and speculated that the strawberry blonde had his jaw slack and mouth agape, sporting a blush even more fierce then Karma's own.

“Y-y-you idiot! Don’t say things like that in public!”

“I’m sorry, it kinda just slipped out.”

Asano sighed in what seemed to be in exasperation and headed to the counter, paying for their meals. Karma tried to protest but Asano ignored his comments and walked out of the shop. Karma, seeing he had no business to stay in the food outlet any longer calmly followed Asano and tapped on his shoulder once they were outside. The principal's son whirled around annoyed.

"What do you want Akabane?"

"Just call me Karma. Akabane is too formal, it’s not my style." Karma could have sworn to never meant to say that but the words just seemed to tumble out of his mouth on their own accord. He bit his lip in nervousness as he awaited Asano's answer to his stupid comment, trying to act nonchalantly and unbothered.

"They by all means, feel free to call me Gakushuu." Asano seemed to be equally surprised as Karma at his own answer.

"Alright then Gaku-Gaku, see you tomorrow!"

"Since when were we on a nickname basis?!"

"Hm, about 2 seconds ago."

"Wha-" Asano glared at the red head. "We're not even that close!"

"Whatever you say Gaku-Gaku, same time same place tomorrow kay? Don't be late." And with that, Karma strode off, leaving a confused and fuming Asano behind.

 

* * *

 

The skies were beginning to dip into a spectrum of black and blue, the first few shining stars peaking through the autumn windy night.

Jingling keys were heard as the front door to the Akabane residence opened wide to reveal Karma who had just got off school. He stepped tediously into the dark house and shut the door. The residence was silent, and he hated - no - loathed it. There was no one in the house, not a single soul to provide company for the boy living in solitude ever since he was young. The redhead had always believed that this was the stem of his depression. Karma supposed he could have always just invited friends to his house to stay but since when was it the last time he had _true_ friends?

He blindly stumbled around, hastily searching for the light switch to chase away the blackness that plagued the area. Too bad there wasn't a light switch available to chase away the darkness he harboured in his heart for many years. His heart pounded painfully as he searched for the switch, his anxiety rising each second.

Karma had always felt deep lasting bitterness for the dark. It may have rooted from his unconditional fear of it or simply just because the thought of it gives him nightmares. Still, it does not atone for the fact that his heart is drenched with it. How does one atone for the sin of finding consolation in darkness. He doesn't know. Maybe that's why he despises himself too.

Finally after Karma found the switch and turn it on, he sank to the ground against the wall and hugged his knees tightly. He wanted a presence of comfort and reassurance to help him feel a little less hopeless.

For some reason, his thoughts had strayed to Asano and he felt his cheeks grow warm. Why was he thinking about that idiot, honestly, he did not want to know.

The red head chuckled in amusement as he calmed his racing heart and stood up slowly, disappearing into his bedroom. Karma plopped onto his queen sized bed and allowed his thoughts to run free again.

_I'm not gay…I think._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone would like me to change my writing style to be focused on the story rather than being vague and concentrating on details please do tell me in the comments and I'll try my best to incorporate it. It's just that I feel like I write a lot on the details and the story never progresses but I'm too used to it. Just leave your criticism in the comments and I'll be sure to check them out.


	5. Frequencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you know how disappointing it is to feel hope come crashing down upon you? How it feels to be abandoned, especially by parents? How it feels so hopeless that you sometimes just want to end it all but is forced to continue on daily? If not, then you don't know anything about me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sight mentioning of violence. I'm going to update the ratings and warnings because I've just included stuff that just skimped past the borderline of T. Going to add a few more tags as well.
> 
> This chapter is contains angst and drama. A lot of it. Be prepared.
> 
> I warned you.

Wake up, eat, sport practice, shower, study, school, extra-curriculum activities, go home, study, eat and sleep.

Repeat that.

Again.

Again.

_Again._

This was Gakushuu's daily routine. It always the same, a never ending cycle. It had been like this ever since he established that back in elementary school, when he first started taking education seriously. He had set his goals on surpassing his ever-so-perfect father, and had to act according to it, thus this routine had been born. Everyday was the same, and frankly, it was starting to get boring. Gakushuu saw the world in black and white, in the most simplistic manner possible. All he wanted was to outperform his father and take over his legacy. He had his own entire future planned out for him, and he had intended to fulfil his plan. And that's why he needed a perfect routine to hone his skills for the upcoming battle called life.

The strawberry blonde had never expected any cracks to form in his flawless schedule, and even more so never expected the 'cracks' take the form of a red-headed demon. Yes, the slightly deranged student of Class 3E, Karma Akabane.  Karma Akabane would be the reason behind Gakushuu's  fall from grace and his downfall.

And Gakushuu honestly had no idea whether he thought of it as a blessing or a curse.

 

 

It was a mask of happiness. Masks of happiness lies right in the areas of Karma's expertise. He had the so called 'talent' to hide his emotions behind a thick wall and replace what would have been a cold exterior with a joyful and carefree nature. The emotions he had locked away were ugly and could be literally be described as what Pandora found in the box she swore not to open. What is ugly must be hidden or destroyed, is what every human thinks unconsciously. The same goes for Karma. All the distasteful feelings he had bottled up had been locked away, but with anything that had been supressed, it was only a matter of time before it would bubble up and explode. Karma knew that, he knew that ever since he had first started to subdue his true self and yet he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. It was only a matter of time.

After all, he is a ticking time bomb that had been fated to explode.

 

* * *

 

"You're late."

It was the first response Gakushuu had received from the red head when he approached the latter for the meet up they had planned (it was really a one-sided decision though). The strawberry blonde just gritted his teeth at Karma and made a small sound of dismissal. It almost sounded like a squeak. Asano was dressed formally in his school uniform with his student council president badge clipped gracefully on the blue blazer. Not a speck of dirt of dust could be found on his clothes and there wasn't any creases either. He couldn't be described as none other than a perfectionist.

On the other hand, Karma had gone for the street gang look with his ripped skinny jeans and a buttoned up white shirt that was littered with smears of dirt. The overall look was complemented with an unzipped black jacket that Gakushuu saw him wearing occasionally, half sliding off his shoulders. The principal's son wanted his initial reaction to be disgust but what he found himself thinking was how _great_ the look suited Karma.

"I never agreed to meeting up in the first place." He countered back to the Class 3E student and folded his arms neatly and continued on, "I only came to get lunch. Fancy meeting you here again though." They started walking along the streets of the town, with no destination in mind.

Karma only smirked and waved his hand about care-freely. "Shuu-Shuu, say whatever you want, you know you can't resist this." He gestured to himself in a way that made Gakushuu wanted to gorge his eyes out.

"Don't call me Shuu-Shuu! It's despicable!" Amethyst eyes glared furiously at the offender.

"I thought we confirmed that we were on a nickname basis. Well then what would you like me to call you then? Sano-kun?" Amber eyes had returned the favour with equal fervour. They clashed like separate shades of a same color of paint trying to dominate a canvas.

"No."

"Asa-kun?"

"No!"

"Kouhai?"

"Definitely not!"

Karma just shrugged and stopped walking, "I thought you were getting lunch." They had somehow entered the isolated part of town where there weren't much people around.

"I was but then you happened to annoy me to the point I forgot about it. This is why I don't hang out with delinquents of Class 3E." Gakushuu had saw for a split second, that Karma's eyes had widened a fraction and his lips had dropped its usual smile. But the facial change was gone as soon as it appeared and the strawberry blonde had pondered whether or not it was just his imagination.

"Don't bad mouth my classmates." The red head's tone seemed to have changed.

"But I'm speaking the truth. People are only sent to Class 3E because of their incompetence in life. They fail at basic subjects and have no proper mindset." At this point Gakushuu could see that Karma had become silent and had his head tilted towards the floor, the top half of his face covered in dark shadows. He knew he should have stopped but at that time, his mouth seemed to be acting on it's own accord.

"All your classmates are either delinquents like you or just really lacking in the intelligence department because that was the very reason that they got sent there. To be part of the five percent my father had made to be doomed to fail is quite infuriating isn't it? I bet you're just some whiney kid who had rich parents and can do whatever the hell you want. You never put in the hard work and just rely on what you already know, which is probably nothing. It's a surprise you somehow made it to the top five every year in middle school for exams. Are you sure you're not cheating or something? You're so pathetic it makes me think your parents never even cared for you in the first place-"

Hands wrapped around Gakushuu's collar and slammed him against the wall, holding him in place. Karma still had his face downcast and hid by the shadows but Gakushuu could tell he was livid.

"What do you know about me? Not only do you insult me, you have the nerve to disrespect my friends and classmates." The red head just started in a low voice, "you really think you know everything huh? You have the position and power to do anything you want as well. You assume the people in 3E don't put in hard work into what they do. You think I don't study hard day after day, putting in the effort for others to feel secure? Do you really know how hard it is to pretend day after day you're some happy guy who somehow gets perfect scores and lives a carefree life?"

Karma's hands were shaking.

"Do you know how disappointing it is to feel hope come crashing down upon you? How it feels to be abandoned, especially by parents? How it feels so hopeless that you sometimes just want to end it all but is forced to continue on daily? If not, then you don't know _anything_ about me."

A punch landed squarely on the side of Gakushuu's face, the force enough to send him flying to the ground.

"I've had enough."

The principal's son was silent and glanced up to see steely mercury eyes pierce through his soul.

"I've had enough of your ignorance and selfishness."

And just like that Karma, turned and walked off into the distance. Gakushuu sat up and caressed his cheek, feeling angry and guilty.

_Trust me Karma, I know all too well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a horrible person but it just had to be done. Next chapter may or may not be happier, depending on what I want the next scene to be.


	6. Disparities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Pathetic, you can't even deal with a few punches?"  
> "You're the son of the Akabanes, and you're supposed to be strong and can stand up for yourself."  
> "Worthless, useless."  
> "Pathetic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in the middle of writing this when I realised I should probably progress with with what happens with Koro-sensei. Haha I totally forgot about that. Too caught up with the Karushuu shipping. And the story is set somewhere in chapter 127 in the manga. Just for reference.
> 
> Dedicated to [akihito_kanburrito](https://archiveofourown.org/users/akihito_kanburrito/pseuds/akihito_kanburrito) because I promised I would update my work if they updated theirs.
> 
> WARNING: Mentions of cutting and panic attacks. Do not read if risk triggering.

It's been three days since the incident. Karma hasn't seen Gakushuu since then. He didn't want to see the strawberry blonde at all. The stupid idiot just had to go and trigger Karma's panic attacks and cutting habits again. The red head had starting cutting back in the first year of middle school when he was thirteen but stopped after a few months. That was around when he met Nagisa and became friends with him. From then, he made sure to cover up evidence of his weakness and depression.

In many ways, Karma was eternally grateful for what Nagisa has done for him (not that he'll ever say it out loud though). The bluenette had kept Karma's demons at bay and prevented the redhead from ever feeling lonely, lost and depressed for a long time. They had been the best of friends back then. They still were now of course, but just a falling a little short on the 'best' bit of best friends. Nagisa had other friends now and even though he still thinks of Karma as a friend, it just wasn't the same as before when it was just the two of them.

But Karma couldn't take upon himself to care. Just as long as Nagisa was happy, he couldn't care whether they were friends for not.

Sure, he's cheered up a lot now. Class 3E was like his family and he loved the classroom. It was his true home. It was where his true family was. Karma had found that the façade of happiness he put on slowly become reality. All the fun times he had dreamed of were coming true. He wasn't depressed as much anymore, he still had episodes occasionally, suffering brief panic attacks. Like the time he came home and the room was dark. Darkness was one of his triggers but other than that he was genuinely happy.

Well, he'd be happy right now if it weren't for stupid Asano.

Honestly, the amber eyed boy couldn't bring himself to hate Gakushuu. He knew the principal's son couldn't possibly know what panic attacks episodes felt like and depression was, because Gakushuu was the embodiment of perfection. He had a perfect life, family, education, resources and friends. So Karma couldn't find it in him to hate the boy.

But he definitely _dislikes_ Gakushuu at the moment.

But still, even if the redhead doesn't hate Gakushuu, he still hates the amber eyed boy for what he's done to Karma. He held up the razor, coated in blotchy red fluid. Thick rich crimson liquid were dripping into the sink and Karma rummaged through the cupboard of the bathroom for some gauze. He felt guilty, cutting for what seemed like no reason. But images flashed through his eyes.

He saw elementary kids stand around another elementary kid, trapping the boy and throwing both punches and insults. In other words, his bullies and himself, as the victim. Karma shook his head violently, desperately ridding his mind of the nasty memories. He remember their punches and insults, and how whenever he came back with bruises, cuts and scrapes his parents always told him to deal with it.

_"Pathetic, you can't even deal with a few punches?"_

_"You're the son of the Akabanes, and you're supposed to be strong and can stand up for yourself."_

_"Worthless, useless."_

_"Pathetic."_

Voices of various sources mixed and reverberated together bounced around his mind and the fifteen year old couldn't tell who the voices belonged to anymore. He dropped the razor on the floor, grabbed the white pristine gauze and hastily wrapped it around his arm after cleaning it.

_I'm pathetic…_

 

* * *

 

"Karma? Hey, you feeling okay?" Nagisa asked Karma, who sported predominate dark bags under his eyes. They had met at the train station like they did every morning and were waiting for their other friends to arrive so they can walk up the steep mountain to the classroom together.  The red head just chuckled and waved his hand about like he always does, dismissing the blue eyed boy's concerns. Karma was wearing his usual attire today, his white undershirt adorned by a black jacket and grey linen pants. He had made sure the white bandage gauzes weren't visible under the black sleeves of his jacket.

"I'm fine, just didn't get enough sleep. You know me, playing video games until I drop dead." Karma smirked at the bluenette, making sure his smirk didn't falter so Nagisa wouldn't start getting suspicious.

"Hmm." Nagisa hummed, sounding like he didn't quite believe Karma but dropped the topic anyways. "You're unbelievable."

"What can I say? So many games, so little time."

"Screw you and your genius brain. Did you know, some people have to _study_ to get good in tests?"

"Don't tell me your jealous Nagisa-kun~" The redhead's voice had gone back to a teasing and mock-sympathetic tone.

"S-s-shut up!" Nagisa flushed a scarlet red and Karma laughed, seeing how the color reminds him of his hair shade. Soon, Sugino, Nakamura, Isogai, Okuda and all the others that caught the train joined them and they started to walk up the mountain. But, obviously, a question regarding Karma's eye bags just _had_ to be asked.

"Woah Karma, are you wearing eye shadow under your eyes?!"

 

He really couldn't catch a break could he? Not only was he asked questions about his eye bags all day, to which he responded that he stayed up all late playing videogames, Karma had been elected as head of the most recent assassination plot. He tried to protest as much as he can but the class needed his leadership skills. He won't be doing much, they reassured, just overlooking the whole plan and calculating the allocated times for each role (they totally did not choose him because he was a maths genius and nobody else wanted to do the maths bit).

Resources and money for the assassination wasn't a problem, the Ministry of Defence provided everything they needed. Everyone will put in the effort and time to make this a success. And this time, they won't fail. The plot would take at least two day to formulate and another two days to get the required weapons and resources. So within the next four days, Karma will be busy in his room working out time intervals, the required resources and money needed for the assassination. The red head walked out of the classroom for some fresh air when the class meeting was over and he huffed in exasperation, glaring at the azure blue sky.

_At least it may serve as a distraction for all the hectic things happening recently._


	7. Emergencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is that a gun?!" The principal's son's voice came out rather strained and Karma did a double take before blocking Gakushuu's field of vision.  
> "It's a fake. A toy." The red head replied in a hurried manner and plastered a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so hyped for this chapter. There's going to be a nice change from the angsty stuff I've been writing so far, and I'm going for a more funnier chapter this time. Enjoy reading this because I sure did enjoy writing it!

How did he find himself standing here again? Gakushuu sighed as he stared at the wooden door looming in front of him. He allowed himself to be momentarily distracted, examining the intricate wood designs craved on the door, before snapping himself out of the self-induced haze of nervousness.

He let out another breathy sigh and looked at the parcel he was carrying in his hands. It was a rectangular box, neatly wrapped with red and gold wrapping paper with a white bow on top that Gakushuu had spent hours on; searching up how to make one on the internet. He had wanted to apologise to Karma, for acting so selfishly and speaking ill of the latter's friends and classmates. Oh boy, apologising was harder than he had anticipated, and he thought he had plenty of knowledge on apologising through all the rom-com, chick-flick romance films he had been watching lately. He had gotten the gift as evidence that he wasn't pranking the red headed boy and that his apology was genuine.

Suddenly, the door to Karma's house looked daunting and almost terrifying. The strawberry blonde inhaled sharply before gathering his the last of his courage and scraping together what was left of his dignity.

 _Calm down, stop acting like a teenage girl confessing to her crush!_ Gakushuu scolded himself.

He brought his fist to the door and tentatively knocked. There was a faint sound of something dropping as a voice was heard from behind the door.

"I'm coming, hold on for a sec."

There were sounds of papers shuffling around and boxes being moved.

"Hey Nagisa, I thought the class agreed you'd be coming after lunch-"

The olive brown door opened and surprised amber eyes met glaring violet ones.

 

* * *

 

 

The doorbell rang and Karma dropped the box of green anti-sensei knives he was holding. _That must be Nagisa and the others…_ he thought as he organised the BB guns. _They're early, what's going on?_

"I'm coming, hold on for a sec!" He called out as he moved more boxes of weapons around. The table he worked at was covered in schematics for the assassination plot. Since he was the so called 'leader' of this plan, and that his parents weren't home, his classmates had decided to keep all weapons and tools needed for their new assassination plot at his place. They had planned to leave all the stuff there and come back to retrieve them after lunch in time for the assassination plan. There was school on that day but they had shoved all the responsibility on Karma since he was planning on skipping school anyways. He grumbled as he almost tripped over all the papers he had been working on earlier and continued the walk to the main door.

"Hey Nagisa, I thought the class agreed you'd be coming after lunch-" He opened the door and froze midsentence as he realised who it was.

"Gakushuu?!" Karma couldn't believe what he was seeing. The student council president was standing on his doorstep, holding a colourful wrapped parcel and a glare overshadowing his nervous twitching lips.

_He's on my doorstep. What the hell is HE doing on MY doorstep._

Karma stepped backwards in shock and realised that there were opened boxes containing _hundreds_ of weapons behind him. As much as he disliked Gakushuu (or as much as he _hoped_ he disliked Gakushuu), he didn't want the strawberry blonde get the wrong idea. Especially when there was a national secret and a ten billion yen reward on the line. He quickly regained his composure and attempted to block the entire doorway.

"W-what brings you here Gaku-Gaku?" He cursed himself for stuttering and tried to look as natural as smooth as he can. Well, as smooth as one can get when faced with the task of blocking hundreds of military artillery behind them. The amethyst eyed male raised his eyebrow but didn't question it.

"I was thinking about what I said to you a few days ago," at the mention of their fight, Karma's face fell as a glare replaced his neutral expression, "- and I felt that us being enemies would be a very unbeneficial loss and I would rather be on good terms with you." Gakushuu raised his hand and offered the present to Karma who had then looked back at the strawberry blonde with a blank expression. Neither moved for moment and the atmosphere was growing increasingly awkward. Gakushuu wanted to look anywhere other than the red head standing in front of him and his eyes wandered to an object lying on the floor of Karma's house-

"Is that a gun?!" The principal's son's voice came out rather strained and Karma did a double take before blocking Gakushuu's field of vision.  
"It's a fake. A toy." The red head replied in a hurried manner and plastered a huge smile on his face. Gakushuu wasn't convinced and tried to delve further into the house. But however he tried to look past, Karma had immediately responded and blocked him.

"You're hiding something aren't you?" Gakushuu asked suspiciously.

"Me? Hiding something? Haha, very funny Shu-Shu. Appreciate the joke." Karma laughed nervously and coughed into his elbow. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Oh really now."

"Really."

"Then let me have a look and I'll decide for myself whether or not you're hiding something."

"The joke's going a bit too far now Asano-kun."

"Stop calling me by a different name every time you address me!"

The strawberry blonde couldn't take it anymore and shoved past the Karma, hearing the redhead swear profusely. The sight of guns of all sizes and shapes, sniper rifles, green jelly looking knives and bombs was inconceivable.

"ARE YOU A TERRORIST? I KNEW YOU WERE INTO SOME PRETTY STRANGE STUFF BUT TERRORISM CROSSES THE LINE." "IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE I SWEAR." Karma yelled back with equal vigour, desperately deciding whether or not to tell him about Koro-sensei or have Asano think he was a murderer for the rest of his life. Gakushuu whipped out his phone and dialled some numbers.

"That's it, I'm calling the police!"

Karma tackled Gakushuu (who dropped the present as a result) meanwhile the phone rang and both wrestled for the device, knocking over a few boxes of the guns and knifes. Paper was being teared up and shuffled everywhere as they continued to brawl. Karma somehow gained the upper hand and yanked  the phone from Gakushuu's grip, tapping the hang up button.

 _Great, things can't get worse, can it?_ The red head thought in exasperation as he watched Gakushuu panic on the floor.

"Karma, we're here to get the weapons now-" The entire class of 3E students froze upon stumbling across the scene of papers, schematics, guns, knives, _everything_ scattered _everywhere_ and a messy haired Karma hovering over Gakushuu on the floor. The red head groaned and just rolled over onto his back, blowing up more scraps of paper into the air in the process.

_I spoke too soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think a went a little bit overboard with the plot there.


	8. Anxieties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, Karma could feel the piercing glares of everyone in the class, the pressure reminding him of a cataclysmic cyclone.  
> "What can I say, Karma's a bitch." He muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the lateness of this chapter but I actually have an excuse. It is the terrible tragedy taking placing in hell called exams, bane of every teenager's existence. And I had to pull an all-nighter to get this done. Why can't life throw something other than obstacles my way for once?

There was many things Karma had thought that would never happen in his life. One would be the fact that Gakushuu actually went up to his house to apologise. Another would be that he would be keeping weapons at the time. Furthermore, he had never thought that the class would show up _at the same time_ Gakushuu was there, _while_ their weapons were stored in his house.

But with his luck, it was happening right before his eyes and he wasn't sure if he should be amazed or annoyed. Curse the gods above for giving him the worst of luck.

"Karma, what are you going to do about this?" Isogai had his arms crossed and stared at the red head, waiting for an answer that will hopefully satisfy his anger. Karma sheepishly shrugged and glared at the strawberry blonde, who had a makeshift  gag of tissues stuffed in his mouth and was currently restrained by Terasaka and Yoshida. Nobody had trusted him to not run off and call the police or Department of Defence with a national secret at risk of being exposed. It was a strange sight, the entirety of Class 3E gathered in his house, as they stared expectantly at Karma.

"I don't see a reason as to why he can't know about Koro-sensei-" He protested weakly, and was quickly silenced by Nagisa who clapped his petite hands around Karma's mouth whilst shaking his head frenziedly.

"Don't say his name idiot!" Nakamura whispered in a irritable voice and glanced at Gakushuu again, who seemed to be listening intently on their conversation. "It's bad enough now that he has seen all our weapons and we have no explanation for that, but now, you've almost given away government secrets."

"Mmph!" Karma couldn't speak while Nagisa's hand was still on his mouth and the only sound that was heard was a bunch of incoherent protests coming from him. Isogai sighed and turned towards Gakushuu, and motioned for Terasaka to get rid of the tissues.

"What the hell is going on. Karma, why is your entire class here?" The principal's son demanded once he was able to speak again. Karma stood there silently as Nagisa hesitated to remove his hand from the red head's mouth, before deciding to let Karma respond to Asano. He had hoped Karma wouldn't start sprouting even more secrets Asano.

"Isogai, it's no use. We have to tell him. We can't just shrug this issue off and try to keep him quiet. Trust me, it won't work." Karma consulted the class president with a unnaturally serious expression.

"We can't! It's not just the matter of trying to keep him quiet about it, it's also the government's decision! We can't just decide for ourselves whether or not to tell him."

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Gakushuu demanded, ditching his formalities and glared at the Class Represenative.

"NO." The entirety of E Class snapped at Gakushuu in union, creating an murderous atmosphere filled with bloodlust.

"Okay, sorry for asking." The strawberry blonde seemed to shrink under the scrutiny of multiple eyes judging his entire existence.

"What are we going to do then? Shut him up by giving him a hefty sum of money? Where in the world are we going to get that money? How will it guarantee that he'll shut up? I'm pretty sure he's rich enough not to be swayed by money." At this point Karma really wanted to jump out of his window and pretend none of this ever happened.

"I don't know! You made the mess, you fix the mess!" Nakamura also looked like she was thinking along the lines of jumping out the window too.

"How would I'd known that Gakushuu was going to come?!"

"How did you NOT know that he was going to come?"

"Wait, hold up, did you just call him _Gakushuu_?" Nagisa interrupted their banter before it would escalate into much more violent matters. "Already calling each other on a first name basis? Are you guys secretly courting each other?!"

"He told me to call him Karma first!" Gakushuu pointed accusingly at Karma who then, shrugged in response. "And NO, we are NOT dating despite contrary belief!" The strawberry blonde looked genuinely disgusted at the idea which in turn made Karma's insides tie itself into a knot.

"Gaku-Gaku, that's rather harsh. Wouldn't you think we were something more than just friends?" The red head teased, covering up the hurt that had flashed across his face with a mask of indifference. Unbeknown to the mercury-eyed boy, Nagisa had caught on to the look and was now standing silently on the sidelines, contemplating a thought silently.

It was chaotic and nobody seemed to know what to do, with the majority of the class standing in the background speechless, silently spectating on the pair arguing.

"That's it, I'm calling Koro-sensei." Itona sighed.

 

* * *

 

Gakushuu didn't know what he expected when he heard that the teacher of class 3E coming. A delinquent just like the rest of 3E? But that wouldn't explain how 3E got had gotten so smart in the short amount of time they had been taught up on the mountain. Maybe it was a old man or a young woman? The possibilities were endless but one conclusion Gakushuu was certain of was that the teacher of Class 3E was no ordinary teacher.

So honestly, when a yellow _octopus_ of all things show up at the front of the Akabane's residence, the principal's son wasn't even sure why he was so surprised. He _had_ expected weird animal sea creature things right? The possibilities were endless, that's what he had thought right? But no way was he prepared for a giant octopus capable of reaching speeds of Mach 20,so to put it in simpler terms, he was shocked (and chilled) to the bones. But the only thought he was coherently thinking of in his head was-

"Why yellow out of all colors?"

Everyone stared at him, disturbed beyond comprehension. One would expect a person to completely freak out after seeing Koro-sensei, scream, shout, go into shock, whatever of the sort, but definitely not question about the creature's color.

"Aww, guys I think we broke him." Karma snickered, as he glanced at Gakushuu's blank expression, devoid of any emotion. That earned him a light slap on the arm from Koro-Sensei, who was also mildly surprised at the appearance of the princpal's son.

"Ah, Asano-kun, it's…a pleasure to meet you under such…pleasurable circumstances."

There was no reply from the strawberry blonde and Nakamura waved her hand in front of Gakushuu's face, trying to break the latter of his self induced stupor. "Yup, we broke him."

Once again, Karma could feel the piercing glares of everyone in the class, the pressure reminding him of a cataclysmic cyclone. "This is all your fault you red headed delinquent." Maehara coughed, attempting to break the thick tension gathered in Karma's living room.

"What can I say, Karma's a bitch." Karma muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist throwing in the bit of Karma saying to himself 'Karma's a bitch." It is the ultimate ironic statement he can say.


	9. Hospitalities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma was the most unpredictable in the class but deep down, it was clear he loved the classroom and his classmates like everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired and I really want to read some quality Karushuu fan fiction right now. :(

Since nobody knew what to do with the principal's son who hasn't moved an inch or spoken a word ever since the appearance of Koro-sensei, the only logical answer was to bring him back to the classroom at the top of the mountain. That way, it'll be easier to sort everything out with the help of Karasuma-sensei. That's what everybody thought of at the time. It'll also be the last time that they'll ever trust Karma with an assassination plan. By the time they had made it up to the classroom, the plan was long forgotten. The disapproving look on Karasuma-sensei was enough to send shivers down Karma's spine as he neared the classroom. Koro-sensei was beside Karasuma-sensei, with Gakushuu behind both teachers.

"Karma, is this your doing?" Nothing in the world could prepare him to be on the receiving end of Karasuma-sensei's glare. The red-head seemed to shrink back but nodded slowly. The ebony haired teacher sighed and turned back to Gakushuu.

"This is a national secret that only a few members of high position and Class 3E are privy to. You can either be sworn to secrecy or…" Karasuma stopped for a second, appearing to be slightly appalled by the second option he was going to suggest "…join End Class."

The atmosphere was silent for a good minute.

"WHAT?!" Both Gakushuu and the class shrieked in unison.

"He can't _possibly_ fit in with us!" Terasaka sneered in the strawberry blonde's general direction.

"He'll probably try and get the ten billion prize money for himself. Or worse, he'll sabotage every plan we have!" Nakamura  complained and tossed her beach blonde hair behind her shoulders. "Whatever you say, he's not getting my vote to join."

"Who said I was going to even join in the first place?" Gakushuu retaliated, slighted offended at the comments being made. "Did anyone even hear the first option?"

"Is nobody even going to address the issue that Asano's reaction to Koro-sensei is _NOT_ normal?" Nagisa wailed in the background of the chaos, his voice quickly lost in the unfolding frenzy.

Karma took this as his chance to slip away unannounced and with practiced expertise, he sneaked into the tree line of the forest. He mentally praised himself for the countless years he managed to get out of class without being noticed. He walked to the premises of the school ground where a large lake was situated at and sat on the bank.

_"And NO, we are NOT dating despite contrary belief!" The strawberry blonde looked genuinely disgusted at the idea which in turn made Karma's insides tie itself into a knot._

Karma wanted to slap himself when his mind had wandered back to what Gakushuu said back at his house. He wanted to slap himself and yet he wanted to curl into a ball and sulk. He had brushed the comment off with an air of obliviousness, but in reality, it hurt.

"Wait, I'm not gay am I?" Karma murmured to himself. His thoughts drifted back to two strict parental figures and he shuddered involuntarily. "No I can't be."

The red head laughed at his current predicament. Sitting on a river bank and freaking out over a identity crisis wasn't a usual occurrence after all.

 

 _Meanwhile back the classroom._ "Wait, where did Karma go?"

 

* * *

 

Gakushuu was pissed. No, that was an understatement, he was furious. Sure, he wanted to find out the End Class's secrets but he didn't expect such heavy consequences. Not only that, but Karma (the only familiar face around) had ditched him and left him with equally frustrated classmates. Now, he was stuck in their classroom, with a handful of students in End class, with the missing half outside looking for Karma. The redhead started this mess, and he wasn't even here to face the punishment.

_What a coward._

But deep down, the strawberry blonde knew that the redhead wasn't to blame. After all, he was the one that offended Karma in the first place a week ago. He was the one who wanted to know Class 3E's secret. He was the one who showed up to his place to apologise, not knowing of what was happening. He didn't know they had a giant _yellow_ octopus creature that flew at Mach 20 and destroyed the moon as a teacher. And it doesn't even stop there, the class was tasked with the mission of _assassinating_ their teacher. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the whole concept yet.

He was feeling extremely out of place and confused.

Come to think of it, the class doesn't even know why he was at Karma's place today. For all they knew, Karma could've invited the strawberry blonde over and exposed their secret. As much as he hated Karma right now, it didn't sit right with his conscience that almost all blame was dumped on Karma's shoulders. No wonder he ran away, Gakushuu would have wanted to do the same.

It seemed like Nagisa was also pondering about the same thing as he stared at Gakushuu, scrutinising every movement of the Student Council President. "Hey, Asano-kun, why exactly were you at Karma's house today?"

"M-me? Oh, you know…doing Student Council President business." He stuttered, not prepared for the question. The stuttering had attracted the others' attention and soon, it was a full on interrogation.

"So what kind of _business_ did you have with our class prankster?" Nakamura leaned down towards the strawberry blonde, their faces only inches apart. "What could you, the principal's son and Council President, _possibly_ want with him?"

"That's none of your business." He snapped back, growing increasingly irritated and nervous.

"Oh? You certainly made it our business when our class secret somehow got out. I wonder how that might have happened? Do you have any ideas Asano-kun?" The blonde feigned innocence and pulled away again, with a ugly knowing smirk on her face. Gakushuu really wanted nothing more than to wipe that expression off her face.

"That's enough Nakamura." Isogai scolded. "We're getting nowhere like this."

"But we deserve to know." Kayano crossed her arms and glared accusingly at Asano. "I don't know about you guys, but I know it's not Karma's fault. I know he's a bit… _silly_ at times but he isn't the type of person to do this sort of thing." She received a lot of nods in response. Karma was the most unpredictable in the class but deep down, it was clear he loved the classroom and his classmates like everyone else.

Gakushuu was really in a bind now. He didn't want to admit that him, the aristocratic school dictator, is actually putting time aside to apologise to an irresponsible troublemaker. No way. Hell would have to freeze over before he ever admitted it.

"Like I said. It's not your business."

Nakamura just threw her hands up and stomped out of the classroom. "I'm going to help the others find that stupid red-read and _beat_ the shi- truth out of him."

"I hope you mean figuratively." Isogai grimaced, feeling empathy for Karma.

Nakamura curtly lept out of the classroom window and shouted, "Nope! I will _literally_ beat the answer out of him!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone mind if I swear in this? I'm pretty sure I can since I bumped the rating up from T to M a few weeks ago. But I wanted to check up with my lovely readers first. There won't be a lot though so don't fret if you're against swearing.


	10. Impulsivities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected attack from an old enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so bad for posting this piece of garbage. This chapter is literally garbage. But I'm not bothered to rewrite the entire thing so I guess you guys have to deal with my horrible writing for now. I might come back and edit it sometime in the future.

Karma didn't know what had happened. One minute, he was sitting on the river bank, _minding his damn own business_ , when something struck his head. The momentum wasn't exactly enough to send him spiralling into an abyss of darkness but it sure had left dark spots dancing in his vision. At least the attack had found him on high alert now, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever attacked him. Stumbling into a stance of self-defence with blurry vision and a sense of vertigo washing over the red head's body, he tried to make out the offender. He (or she, he couldn't exactly tell at the moment) was tall and had a white robe encased around their body. A pair of violet orbs peeked out from under the darkness of the hood, and it vaguely resembled Koro-sensei's tiny eyes. Karma's mind was screaming at itself that he knew this person, but for some reason, a name wouldn’t come to mind.

_Sh-shi-_

A fragment of the name sprung to Karma's thoughts. But he didn't have time to dwell upon the knowledge of the list of people he knew whose name started with 'Shi.' He managed to dodge the right hook that intended to finish the job and barely evaded the next one. Taking a immediate stance of attack, he also tried to throw a punch and a few kicks. But within a few minutes, it was clear that the first attack was meant to throw him of balance. The red head's vision was still unclear and he was dizzy from the hit to the head.

_Shi…Sh-ir…_

Another consonant had announced its presence to add to the name. Shir…? He definitely knew this person. A strike from the left broke the red head from his train of thoughts and forced him to focus back on the situation. The outcome of the battle was pretty obvious now. Karma probably had a concussion and was in no condition to fight meanwhile this 'Shir' person was taking advantage of that. If he doesn’t do anything or make a plan in the next minute, he'll totally be at the mercy of his attacker. Unfortunately, in his current state, not much could be done. A final jab to the back of Karma's head had left even more black spots dancing in his vision and he struggled to stay awake.

_Sh-Shi-Shir…_

Collapsing to the ground with all energy leaving his body, Karma finally remembered the name.

_Shiro._

His last coherent thought was how cliché it was to remember something at the last possible minute before completely blacking out.

 

* * *

 

 

"Terasaka! Find anything yet?" Nakamura had met up with most of the people who had gone out to search for Karma.

"No, but that red headed idiot is so dead when we find him!" Terasaka replied angrily, bashing his fist against his palm to express his irritation. "He out of all people should know that I have better things to do than to look for his sorry ass."

Nakamura smirked at the comment but found herself troubled over the fact that no one has seen Karma so far. It was a well known fact that if he didn't want to be found, then it would be practically impossible to find him. But the worrisome thing is that Karma has never been missing this long without leaving a message like "I'm going to ditch class" or "I'm going out for a while." It was rare for him to just disappear without any notice. At times like this though, he almost never took any more than a hour to come back and announce his presence.

Something is definitely wrong. Shivers travelled down Nakamura's spine as the autumn wind rustled leaves ominously. The phantom feeling of impending doom rested  heavily on her mind and this caused her to straighten her back and had her on high alert.

The tree leaves rustled restlessly again in the breeze, and everyone whipped there heads towards the sky as a shadow passed by them overhead. A flash of red caught their eyes and Nakamura widened her eyes in shock. Yoshida sprinted towards the where the _thing_ took off from as the others slowly returned to their sense and followed hesitantly after him. They arrived at a small river, and looked around frantically for any signs of the red head.

"Over there!" Okano shouted and paused running, pointing to the ground where the river bank was heavily unsoiled. There were signs of a struggle. Ripped up white fabric lied scattered across the dirt.

And a torn up dirty black jacket sprawled in the middle of it all.

At first there was silence. No movement. Nothing. Everyone was stunned. The black jacket was Karma's without a doubt. But what could have possibly caused this scene, and what in the world happened to Karma?

Nakamura was the first who had spoken up in a hoarse voice, sounding genuinely worried.. "We should go back and regroup with the others. Tell them what happened."

"Well the last I checked, we _don't_ know what happened." Sugino blurted out and immediately his face was immediately replaced with a forlorn expression.

"That's why we need to regroup." Nakamura argued back and glared at Terasaka and his gang. "Any objections?" Receiving none, she picked up Karma's jacket and began to run back to the classroom with everyone else who was searching for Karma.

Upon arrival, they burst into the classroom and quickly recounted what had taken place back at the river bank as best as they could, nobody at the moment cared that Gakushuu was also caught up in the midst of all the talk.

"We think Karma was…taken. We don't know by who are what though. All we found was white rags and his jacket. We've got to work out what it was." Nakamura finished off uneasily to the class, and held up the jacket as proof. She got a snort from Terasaka in response.

"That's a light way of putting it. Whatever 'took' him isn't going to be easy to find. For heaven's sake, it _flew_ over our heads! That means, no clues, no tracks to follow, nothing!"

Nagisa suddenly perked up and spoke in a quiet voice. "But we do know somebody who wears white rags and ran an experiment where he people turned into supercreatures that were able to fly don't we?"

"We do?" Terasaka was slapped on the back of the head by Nakamura who sent him a disapproving look.

"We do." Koro-sensei turned around to the class and looked at Gakushuu wearily. "We'll need to form a plan. He's either going to hold Karma-kun as hostage to lure me out or _worse_."

"Define worse." Isogai spoke up, his voice strained with tension.

"Let's say we'd rather not see anymore tentacles on anyone else after what happened with Itona and Kayano do we?"

This statement earnt horrified looks from everyone in the classroom, especially from the ones who had tentacles at some stage as well.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Kayano queried sporting a distressed expression, feeling extremely concerned for her red headed friend.

Koro-sensei turned to face Gakushuu, who in turn froze and took on persona of a cornered mouse with no escape.

"Say Asano-kun, why don't you lend us a hand in rescuing Karma?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I attempted to throw in some action and drama but as you can see, it turned out to be a total flop. I should get a merit for trying though.


	11. Rationalities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I happen to know that you also need a little bottomless pit inside of you to be filled."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **I'M SO SORRY, I TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE.** No excuses, no one likes reading excuses right...?  
> ...I'll give them anyway.  
>  1\. I was EXTREMELY busy. Like the _essay-writing-for-days-without-lunch-breaks_ kind of busy.  
>  2\. I got addicted.  
> 3\. Not to drugs.  
> 4\. To knitting. Yes, _knitting._ You heard me correctly.  
>  5\. And I still haven't finished my essay.  
> I'm going to apologise for everything but I can't guarantee my chapters will be on time in the future too. Now, please continue and remember to leave a comment!

Karma's head throbbed painfully and a headache angrily clawed at his mind as he slowly regained consciousness. Due to his perplexed state, he couldn't remember anything. Blinking wearily at the dark room he was captivated in, he tried to move his body but found himself bound to a metal operating table for hospital patients. Turning his head slightly to the left, Karma could see he was hooked up to various machines of sorts. The redhead frowned as he studied the clear fluid that was being pumped into his bloodstream by an IV. He then proceeded to struggled fruitlessly in his constraints, the metal cuffs that held him down on the hard unforgiving surface digging into his skin. Then for the first time, he surveyed the room around him, taking in features he hadn't noticed when he first woke up.

The room was dark and he couldn't make out everything, but it was very clear that it was a laboratory. Tools and machines for god-knows-what were situated around the lab. Some devices even looked suspiciously like torture contraptions, which made the hairs on his body stand up. Wherever this was, his gut was telling him it wasn't safe and that he had to get out. And Karma trusted his gut feeling _a lot._

If only he knew how he wounded up in this situation, then maybe dealing with it would be much easier. Suddenly the only door connecting this room to the outside world opened and for a moment, Karma was blinded by the bright light that flooded the room. A familiar yet indistinguishable deep voice reverberated into the room. "It seems like you're awake."

Eventually, the red head's eyes adjusted to the light and he could slightly make out the figure standing in front of the doorway. A piercing throb suddenly attacked his temporal lobe and he groaned in discomfort.

 

_A final jab to the back of Karma's head had left even more black spots dancing in his vision and he struggled to stay awake._

_Sh-Shi-Shir…_

_Shiro._

 

Groaning as his memories resurfaced, he sharply turned to face his attacker with as much ferocity as he could muster in the heat of the moment.

"Shiro." The redhead addressed the entity in a disgusted manner.

"That's no way to address someone politely, Karma-kun." Shiro mockingly replied back, walking slowly to where Karma laid. Karma snorted and rolled his eyes in response.

"Pardon me, I didn't know there was a universal code of conduct for how to address your kidnapper _politely_."

Shiro didn't answer the sarcastic remark, instead choosing to prepare a syringe filled with black fluid. The redhead squirmed uncomfortably as an idea of what the syringe was for popped into his mind. Shiro turned around to face Karma and squirted a bit of the black liquid out of the syringe.

"Any idea what this is Karma-kun?" He received another glare from the red head and continued on.

"This is my best creation." The scientist drawled to himself. "I spent my entire life researching, experimenting and creating this formula. It truly is a masterpiece." He turned to Karma and smiled sadistically. "It's called the tentacle cell liquid."

Karma's eyes widened in recognition. "You mean the thing you injected into Koro-sensei, Itona and Kayano to turn them into…" He paused, trying to find the correct term without insulting them too much. "Super-creatures?"

"To be fair, Kayano injected herself with the formula. And they aren't simply super-creatures." Shiro spread his arms wide and laughed in a way that sent shivers up Karma's spine. "They're _weapons_."

The redhead narrowed his eyes and spoke in a fierce tone. "Humans are not for experimentations. They are not research materials and they certainly aren't weapons."

"Don't get me wrong Karma-kun. The formula only amplifies what already exists inside you. It satisfies your needs. Controls your wants. Destroys your weaknesses. Why do you think Koro-sensei, Itona and Kayano received it?" Upon receiving a confused expression from Karma, Shiro continued to explain. "They've got a darkness inside of them. An satisfiable need for blood and power. Something to fill in the empty void inside of them."

"Koro-sensei was the assassin known as the Grim Reaper. Itona got abandoned by his father. Kayano's sister was murdered. They were all lost and hungry for control before getting injected my formula. They needed something to give them dominance and power. The tentacle cell liquid did that for them. It gave them the relief they lacked, the potential to do anything. Most importantly of all, it filled in their empty voids."

Shiro leaned towards the redhead with the syringe raised towards the nape of Karma's neck. "And I happen to know that you also need a little _bottomless pit_ inside of you to be filled.

 

* * *

 

"You're kidding right?" Gakushuu looked nervously at Koro-sensei. "Is this some sort of joke? Because it's not funny."

Nagisa walked up to the strawberry blonde and smiled apologetically. "Unfortunately, this isn’t a joke."

"Welcome to our assassination classroom Asano-kun." Nakamura cheered and rolled her eyes. Her voice seemed to intentionally lack the cheerful tone, instead replaced by a droning sarcastic sound.

"We could really use your help to rescue Karma." Isogai pitched in, choosing to ignore Nakamura's obvious attempt to sway Asano from his decision. The class may not like the principal's son due to his ignorance when it comes to the students of the main school tormenting them but Isogai is willing to look past it if it will help Karma. Besides, due the ikemen's keen observations skills, he's noticed some _chemistry_ going on between the two of them. Asano helping won't be a problem. In fact, it may be beneficial to have him there.

Gakushuu tried to close his gaping mouth as he slowly took in all the information. If this keeps up, he's fairly certain his head will eventually explode. "Wait, let me get this straight. You want _me_ , the person who's turned a blind eye towards all the suffering the main school gave _you_ to rescue that…demon? That doesn't make any sense. Besides, none of you trust me anyway." He paused to prove his point as multiple glaring faces frowned upon him.

Koro-sensei's face turned a mellow pink as he leaned towards Gakushuu, his expression morphing into a smirk. "Oh? So you're okay with it if the so-called demon doesn't make it back safe and sound?"

The strawberry blonde didn't answer right away, finding the question extremely stupid and useless. "Of course I care! I wouldn't bestow anyone a fate like that, not even on my worst enemy."

Nakamura sorted and tucked her long bangs behind her ears. "Don't take us for fools Second Place-kun. _We know_ **.** "

 _Since when did others start using that ridiculous nickname._ Gakushuu thought to himself, slightly annoyed at the redhead for passing the name on. "Come again?"

"You and Karma haven't been exactly subtle in how you act around each other. Dropping hints here and there. Calling each other by first names. You showing up at Karma's house to apologise? How you never address each other directly when someone else was around." Kayano listed things off meticulously with her fingers. "Sometimes I wonder if you're even trying to hide it."

"Hide _what?_ " Gakushuu was beginning to grow restless at the vague comments everyone was throwing in. It was silent for a minute, no one knowing what to say. They didn't really take Gakushuu as a dense person, but as the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.

In the end Nakamura couldn't take it anymore and flat out answered the strawberry-blonde's question without an hesitation.

"Your feelings for each other, what else?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little side note, would you guys like to list all the animes you're watching this season? I'm just slightly curious as to what's popular right now.  
> Here's my watchlist:  
>  _1\. Danganronpa 3 Mirai-Hen_  
>  _2\. Danganronpa 3 Zetsubou-Hen_  
>  _3\. Shokugeki no Souma_  
>  _4\. Qualidea Code_


	12. Victimised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To hell with the world and living. What was the point?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I'm an expert at delaying the inevitable. This chapter was meant to be the interaction between Class E and Gakushuu meeting Karma in his tentacle form but I chickened out in the last minute of trying to write the scene and wrote whatever this was instead. In my defence, the pacing would have been all jumbled up if I jumped straight to that scene.
> 
> That was _totally_ not an excuse for me chickening out.
> 
> ...

_"Your feelings for each other."_

Frankly speaking, Gakushuu didn't know what his initial reaction was. He'd like to think that he was genuinely shocked at the statement and acted like a proper civilised citizen who respectfully dismissed the accusation. But in reality, the grade A student's face had taken on a lovely shade of crimson and started spluttering like an idiot.

"See, even he admits it." Nakamura rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, as her patience started to worn thin.

"I did no such thing!" Gakushuu retorted back, and mentally strained himself to rid the vibrant blush from his cheeks.

"No need to maintain your pride. No one's judging. In fact, a classmate being gay is probably the most normal thing I've experienced this year." Itona snorted, wearing a expression of indifference on his face as he glanced at Koro-sensei as proof. "We fully support your soon-to-be relationship with Karma. Well, everyone except Terasaka. They've always had a special kind of relationship-" The white haired boy was cut off by Terasaka who tackled him to the ground. The strawberry blonde couldn't help but gape at the pair fighting meanwhile everyone else ignored them, almost as though it was a daily occurrence. Despite all the drama going on, Itona's words echoed in his head.

 _They've always had a special kind of relationship._ Gakushuu felt a slight pang of jealously at the statement and looked helplessly at Kayano, who at the moment, seemed like the only one who felt the most sympathy and remorse for the principal's son.

"What had of relationship _did_ Karma have with Terasaka?" He questioned the green haired actor, his face taking on different shade of pink. Kayano looked completely taken aback at first, but promptly proceeded to burst out laughing.

"Oh, it's nothing special. It's just your average delinquent relationship I guess. I won't go into detail, because that's something you'll need to ask Karma yourself." She winked suggestively back at him. All of a sudden, Kayano's expression turned serious as her hazel eyes meticulously studied Gakushuu . "Just before you make your decision on whether or not you're joining our search, there's some things I want to clarify."

"Clarify?" The strawberry blonde tilted his head in confusion, not entirely sure on what the female actor meant. She nodded in response continuing.

"Karma's a good person. Before coming to End Class, I heard that he had violent tendencies that couldn't be controlled. He would occasionally beat strangers to pulp and had the nastiest attitude. But I think there's a reason why he turned out like that. His parents aren't your typical parents. They were never here when he grew up, and neglected him when they were there. So to make up for the loss of a parental figure in his life, Karma trusted a teacher at the main school, and the same teacher betrayed his trust in the end by suspending him. He never had a role model and learnt at a young age at how cruel the world can be." She paused as Nagisa joined the conversation, and gestured her him to continue.

"Me? Oh, okay? Well, in the first year of middle school, I met him when I was reading a cover of a magazine of a new movie coming out. He was behind me and suddenly spoke to me about the franchise and eventually we went to the movies to together to watch it as friends." He chuckled fondly at the memory. "Back then, he was still very violent and used to scare the hell out of me whenever he beat people up. But, we did become the best of friends and we admired each other. He had his incredible mind and wits, and me with my assassination skills." Nagisa stopped, his posture growing forlorn as he continued on. "But after a while, we grew distant. I think Karma used to think I was harmless, but I had this strong bloodlust inside of me. After our little class civil war on whether or not to kill Koro-sensei, Karma had told me that when he touched me, it felt like he was pierced using a knife - no, let me reword that - stabbed with a sword. That shows how strong and dangerous my hidden bloodlust was. Anyway, we grew distant and he got himself suspended because he tried to defend a upperclassmen from getting bullied. Eventually, he joined E Class a few months after us."

Kayano took over the storytelling once again, "he was the first to inflict damage on Koro-sensei you know? No-one could even touch our teacher and within seconds of meeting him, Karma had already gained the advantage. This was the first time E Class witnessed his wits and skills firsthand. But after that, it was a series of failed assassinations. Eventually, he jumped off a cliff as a last assassination attempt. Honestly, he wouldn't have thought his life mattered much if he came up with an idea on that level of insanity. I don't know what Koro-sensei said to him when he saved Karma, but it changed him. Over time, him and the class grew closer and he changed for the better. But even now, I'm sure everyone can tell that sometimes Karma has these…moments. He'll become really silent and distant. I'm not if he's fully recovered from all that trauma he went through. I really don't want him to go through any more hardships, and the same goes for everyone here."

"So, Asano-kun, will you assist us in getting him back?" Nagisa queried. "This is the last time we're asking, I promise."

Gakushuu bit his lower lip as he contemplated, before nodding his head slowly and sighing in an defeated manner. After hearing what the others had to say, he finally made up his mind. "Fine. I'll make sure Karma gets back safely."

 

* * *

 

_It hurts._

Excruciating white burning pain coursed throughout his body.

_It's so painful._

He couldn't open his eyes. He tried and tried again, even going as far as forcing and clawing his eyelids and drawing out small bead of blood on his cheeks but he just _couldn't_ see.

He just wanted it to stop and go home. It was so painful and it _hurts so much._

There was muffled voices in the background that sounded like slurred speech but he couldn't make out the words.

He didn't know where he was. He couldn't speak, because his throat felt like it had been exposed to the desert heat and parched dry. He couldn't do anything but writhe in agony where he laid. Suddenly, the worst wave of pain hit the nape of his neck. Something long sprouted from the source of the pain and squirmed uncomfortably in the air. He gasped in both surprise and discomfort as it was grabbed and squeezed experimentally, before something was injected into it.

He couldn't take it anymore. To hell with the world and living. What was the point?

_It hurts so much._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter; when all hell breaks lose. Or not.


	13. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red head adopted a feral smile as he licked his blood coated fingers. The screams of horror were surprisingly alluring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired, sleepy and done with the world so I'm going to make this brief.
> 
> Sorry for the delay. I've got no excuses. Longer chapter than usual to make up for it.
> 
> Excuse me for any grammar mistakes. I didn't have the time to check it over too much.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy this chapter.

"From what I know, Shiro has several abandoned labs in the southern district of the city." Koro-sensei pointed at the location he referred to. "It is abandoned by the government, and mostly inhabited by the homeless. It is also where gangs station their base of operations. Many drug dealing and illegal trading goes on within these regions so be careful when entering these parts of the city."

Gakushuu had to physically pinch himself to remind himself that he was in 3-E's classroom with a super creature teacher plotting to rescue a classmate that he had no affinity for. Not to mention, they needed to enter the city's infamous uncharted territory, known for it's dangerous inhabitants and activities. The pain seared throughout his arm and he dropped both of his arms to his sides in defeat.

"Not a dream then?" He murmured quietly to himself and sighed, which did not go unnoticed by the majority of the class.

"What's wrong Asano, not enjoying our courteous company?" Nakamura smirked teasingly, bumping the strawberry blonde's shoulder lightly. "You agreed to this, don't back out at the last minute."

"Unfortunately for you, I don't planning on backing out anytime soon. I did agree to this after all, it'll be shameful if don't follow through with it. I am a man of my words after all." He replied back coolly with narrowed eyes.

"Now now, play nice with each other!" Koro-sensei drawled enthusiastically. "The most important element of this plan is teamwork. You need to work together to pull this off, and fighting with each other is prohibited! However, I have no qualms about harming the enemy, so unleash your bloodlust to your heart's content." The teacher paused, as he examined the class. "No objections? Let's head off then."

 

The trip disturbingly uneventful. The class had expected ambushes by gangs when walking through the streets of an abandoned territory of the city, but there was nothing except the unusual absence of gang activities.

"I wonder what happened?" Yada murmured, voicing the question everyone had in mind.

"Maybe they took the day off?" Yoshida suggested unhelpfully, and the comment was quickly disregarded by the class.

"Something strange is definitely going on." Kayano looked uneasily at the dark buildings, her senses on high alert. The buildings in the district were enveloped in shadows and cracks ran along the old cement. Broken street lights flickered on and off and the sky looked dark, despite it being in the middle of the day. The streets were as silent as a forest at night, and only the flickering of street lamps could be heard resounding throughout the blocks.

It was way too silent and deserted, even for an abandoned city. Gakushuu had a really bad feeling about this. It was as if the city was foreshadowing the events to come if they found the red head.

 

"Hey, isn't that the building on the map?" Yada commented as they approached the only undamaged building in the area. "That's the one where Koro-sensei thinks Karma is being kept right?"

Koro-sensei nodded in response to her comment. "I'll do a quick perimeter check so wait right here." The super creature rushed off with his Mach-20 speed without another word.

"How do you expect us to GO anywhere when-" Terasaka was sharply cut off as Koro-sensei returned from his patrol, donning a prideful smirk. "you do everything at Mach-20 speed…" He finished off lamely.

"It seems the outside is safe, and abandoned. Problem is, the whole building is made of anti-me materials. Meaning, I can't go inside. I'll appoint Isogai as the leader from here on." The teacher reported to the class, as he handed them real knives and guns. "Before you ask, these are not anti-sensei knives, since you already have them on you anyway. It's only for safety measure, in case you encounter anyone dangerous who's not a super-creature. Remember, humans don't get hurt by the government issued weapons."

Once everyone was equipped and ready to head in, Koro-sensei gave one last instruction before they left. "Whatever you do, make sure you get him back."

"But of course, sensei." Nakamura answered with a coy smile. "After all, assassins don't abandon fellow assassins."

 

* * *

 

Karma slouched sullenly in his position, his shoulders hunched. His body was numb, save for the screeching fiery pain in his head, raging and scratching at the weakened walls of his mind. If his position was altered even slightly, the tips of his fingers would twitch and curl in agitation, and his feet would gain feeling, only to give him the pain of walking on pins. Each breath came out heavier and shakier than the last, and his vision switched between unfocused and hyperawareness.

Suddenly, footsteps were clamouring for attention, and Karma attempted to widen his eyes, recoiling in agony as a bright light flickered and tore through his burning mind. The urgency in the way the feet were clattering was evident, but Karma's head felt too heavy to process the words attached to the noise. It was too loud, and he was too exhausted.

A weight appeared on Karma's shoulder in an instant, and he jolted as pain ripped across his body from the point where he was touched. Once he dragged his head up and got past the agonising flame of light, Karma saw a haze of familiar, yet unrecognisable, blue and several sets of pensive eyes peered at him. Their gazes travelled over his scraggy clothing and lingered around the base of his neck. Heavy breathing was heard from all directions, and it was all too loud. The sight was so obnoxious and scathing on his eyes, and they continued to shout with scratched voices. Why were they there? Why wouldn't they just go away?

Karma had to get rid of them.

He stood up, ignoring the piercing pain that seared throughout his body, breaths coming in and out heavier than he intended. He had awareness of his new appendages and could control them to an extent. But in all honestly, it felt more like the new limbs were controlling him instead. He staggered around, trying to get his sense of balance with blurry vision. It felt like his ears and brain had been stuffed with cotton, causing everything to seem muffled. He was distant and detached from himself, no longer apart of his own body. He had no control.

The newcomers were loud and annoying, grabbing him in places he was sensitive in.

He had to get rid of them.

He had to get rid of them.

He had to get rid of-

The appendage that he thought he had control over lashed out without permission and struck out at the strangers. It grazed the cheek of a blue haired male, and rich crimson liquid oozed out of the wound. The smell of fresh and thick blood assaulted the red head's nose. The smell was hypnotic and enticing. He wanted - no, he _craved_ \- this scent.

The appendage swiped at another strawberry blonde male, who managed to dodge in the nick of time. Karma was annoyed at the fact that his own body wasn't listening to him anymore, but he supposed it didn't matter since they had to same goal in mind. He wanted to get away from the pain, the blurry vision, the muffled sounds, and create chaos, bloodshed, death. His head pounded from exertive thinking and he gave in to wild instincts that continued to scream one word in a bloodthirsty howl. The red head adopted a insane feral smile as he advanced onto the strangers, and brought his hand to his mouth, his tongue lapping at blood that coated his fingers.

That's right. He remembered now. He had killed everyone who was in this area of the city. And it felt incredibly amazing as the blood splattered onto his clothes, and the screams of horror were alluring.

Kill. _Kill, kill, kill._

 

* * *

 

"Karma! It's me, Nagisa!" Gakushuu watched as the bluenette attempted to step closer to the red head but immediately stepped back as a tentacle swiped back at him. He had no idea what was going on, having only stumbled across Karma just only moments ago. The class had split up into two groups around the building to search for their missing classmate and the strawberry blonde decided to tag along with Nagisa, Kayano, Sugino, Nakamura, Chiba, Rinka Terasaka and his group. They climbed down the stairs leading to the stairway, and had coincidently encountered the red head.

He was slouching against the wall for support and his was frame weak and bloody. Nagisa had smiled and ran towards Karma but Gakushuu had grabbed the bluenette's arm with force, holding him back in place. Nagisa had protested angrily in his grip but he gestured for the smaller boy to look at the red head's eyes.

Karma's normally playful mercury gold eyes sported a steely glint of malicious and killing intent. He was panting slightly, and his shoulders shook from what seemed to be from exhaustion. The blood that coated his ripped attire blended in with his tousled red hair. However, it was not the blood that had caught the group's attention.

"Is that… _tentacles_?" Terasaka exclaimed in surprise, staring at the wild appendages that extended from Karma's nape. Kayano shuddered unintentionally as she felt the bloodlust in the air. "I don't think…that's Karma right now."

The red head shakily stood up without warning, and the group backed up in slight fear. Suddenly, the appendages swiped at Nagisa, who avoided the brunt of it in the last second. Blood seeped down from the cut that was made on the bluenette's cheek and Karma's eyes widened a fraction. Hope bloomed in Nagisa's chest briefly, thinking that maybe Karma was returning back to them. But the hope was short-lived as a maniacal smile spread across the red head's features. He brought his blood coated fingers to his mouth and lapped at them momentarily.

Nagisa set lips in a firm straight line and focused his sapphire eyes onto the tentacles. "This isn’t him. This is just how it was with Itona and Kayano. This isn't Karma." He walked towards his first friend despite the numerous protests from the group behind him. Karma seemed to be agitated by the unpredictable actions made by Nagisa slowly made his way towards the groups, his movements erratic and sloppy. As he was moving, the appendages brought an onslaught of attacks to the nearest objects and people, which happened to be Nagisa at the moment.

"Nagisa, don't! It's futile!" Gakushuu shouted out frantically, as the assassin moved in towards the red head, dodging most of the attacks. But the assassin was focused solely on Karma, who was laughing quietly against the wall.

_"Give him back."_

Nagisa repeated the words over and over like a mantra.

"This isn't _him_ , I want _him_ back."

The group behind Nagisa stood frozen in place, fear invading their senses. The that scene unfolded before them seemed to play in slow motion as a single tentacle came rushing towards Nagisa.

"WATCH OUT!"

By the time the words left Gakushuu's mouth, it was too late.

 

The red head tilted his head innocently as blood splattered onto him and the wall behind him. The body of a boy collapsed to the ground limply. He disregarded the body and brushed past it to kill the remaining people, but the distress they were showing made him pause momentarily to look at the boy's face.

 

_"NAGISA!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I failed at the cliffhanger again. How does one perfect the art of leaving someone hanging?  
> And if you have the time, I'm curious as to what anime you guys are watching next season so if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to know in the comments.
> 
> For anyone who's interested, I'm going to be watching:  
> 1\. Haikyuu!! Season 2  
> 2\. Bungou Dogs Season 2  
> 3\. Trickster  
> 4\. Bloodivores (Not too sure about this one but I'll give it a go).


End file.
